Chains
by Bookwrm389
Summary: They were strangers, their worlds unconnected and their lives only crossed by the cruelest twist of fate. Not even in his dreams could he escape his divine connection to her. Twilight Princess, very minor Link/Zelda, if you choose to see it that way.


_A.N. A lot of people seem very bitter that Link and Zelda have no connection whatsoever in Twilight Princess. That they hardly knew each other and spent very little time interacting in the game, and even at the very end, they worked together only out of necessity. That got me thinking...I'll bet no one is more bitter about it than Link and Zelda._

Chains

Link thought he had died at first. One moment he was loping across the Great Bridge of Hylia in his lupine form, exhausted from an entire day spent traversing the vast twilit fields of Hyrule. And then out of nowhere there was smoke and scorching fire on all sides and Midna screeching at him to jump, and then the sickening plunge down to the water which slammed into him like a wall of ice. Darkness and pain encased him, followed by blessed numbness as the cold stole the breath from his lungs. He was sinking, insentient and heedless of the knowledge that death was closing in. A tiny part of him even thanked the gods for an end to the endless struggle his life had become.

But that feeling lasted only for a moment. Link felt a tug, like something was dragging him toward the surface, but the sensation faded as he became conscious of a different sort of tug on his soul. He was weightless and formless as he soared at great speed across the hills and fields, toward the white castle that was only a silhouette against the starry sky. He flew upward like a bird, to a roof and a tower that Link knew very well. The window presented a barrier, but the tug was so strong that it pulled him through the glass and touched his feet down on the stone floor inside the chamber, again in possession of his body—his human body, that was. In these rare moments, his subconscious seemed to make a point of never appearing as a beast of the twilight.

She had sensed his coming, though she had not expected it. He opened his eyes to see her rising from the chair near the empty fireplace, her cloak laid across the back rather than shrouding her as it often did. Someone had seen fit to give her a new dress in her captivity, a simple lavender nightgown that in no way detracted from the nobility with which she carried herself. Link let his gaze linger a little longer than necessary, but at some point he had no choice but to raise his eyes to hers. The princess of Hyrule shared his strong Hylian features. Slanted azure eyes and long pointed ears, a face that was slender and angular, almost elven. They could have been cousins or siblings.

But they weren't. Nothing hung in the air between them, not friendship or anything close to it. Link did not even look to Zelda as his princess since the ceremony to make Ordona an official province of Hyrule had never taken place. They were strangers, their worlds unconnected and their lives only crossed by the cruelest twist of fate.

"Are you hurt?"

He started at her inquiry. Zelda watched him in concern, her hand rising to touch her lip. Link mimicked the motion, only now tasting the blood in his mouth. The rest of him didn't look much better, ash smearing his skin and clothes so sodden that he was dripping water all over the place.

Link swallowed and wiped away what was visible, shrugging. "Jumped off a bridge," he muttered. Seeing her alarm, he clarified. "Not on purpose. I'm not suicidal, Princess."

Her brow furrowed, and Link could tell she was not satisfied with such a vague explanation. But she hesitated to demand more, as she likely would have if he had been an ordinary subject. Link did not know what kind of status a hero had compared to royalty, and Zelda certainly wasn't helping him figure it out. Sometimes it seemed as if she was ordering him, but there was always a pleading edge to her words as if she constantly feared his refusal. It was a realistic fear, Link thought privately. No man in his right mind would choose this.

He turned, boots scuffing the floor as he pressed his palm to the window. The glass was solid beneath his fingers, cold and impenetrable as the stone walls of the castle. There was no escaping once within them. Link exhaled in frustration. "I don't want to be here," he said under his breath.

"At least you can leave," Zelda whispered, so softly that he nearly missed it, but sound had a way of carrying in this realm. Neither the twilight realm nor the realm of light, but somewhere in between. The realm of dreams and spirits. A realm that the two of them could traverse to speak to one another, even as their bodies slumbered in the mortal world. Zelda had been just as surprised as him the first time it happened, not long after he restored the light spirit of Faron and awoke as the hero. It had something to do with the Triforce marks on their hands, and that was all the interest Link had in it. They were bound to each other since birth, it seemed. Blessed by the gods, but Link had another word for it...enslaved. He could almost _feel_ the invisible shackle around his left wrist, linked by a gilded chain to an identical shackle on her right wrist.

"How close are you to the final spirit of light?" Zelda asked him. "Will Lanayru Province soon be free of the veil of twilight?"

Link turned back to her and let his hand slip from the glass. As long as he was stuck here, he supposed it would be rude to stay silent. And at least this was something they could safely speak of. "Midna and I just reached Lake Hylia. We know where to look for the spring, but with the lake dried up, I'm not sure if we can reach it."

"Then you should seek out the Zoras in their domain," Zelda suggested. Her eyes became distant, a flicker of sadness in them. "It is they who control the flow of water to all Hyrule, but Queen Rutela would never allow the lake to fall into such a state. Zant must have threatened her people in some way...I fear she may have come to harm in trying to defend them."

"And I suppose I'm expected to lend my aid?" Link said bitterly. "Just like the Gorons?"

Zelda seemed taken aback by his response, and she cast him a look of disapproval. "Is there some compelling reason you should not? I was not aware the Zoras had done anything to earn your enmity."

Link glared out the window again, silently chafing against the sense of entrapment her words gave him. Yes, he must aid the Zoras. He must because it was his destiny to save Hyrule and everyone in it, and the Zoras were no exception. He must because there was no one else, and if he should turn his back on his duty, then he would be blamed for the suffering that ensued. And...Link could grudgingly admit that he would also feel guilty for not doing what he could to help. It had never been in his nature to do nothing while others suffered needlessly.

But compelling as those arguments were, they weren't his only reason. Still gazing out the window, he let his attention wander over the roofs of Castle Town until he picked out one in particular. The tavern where he had tracked Ilia's scent and finally found her at the bedside of that Zora boy. Even unable to speak with or be seen by her, Link had been immensely relieved to know exactly where she was and that she was safe. And to know that once he aided this last spirit of light, he would be free to return as a human and see her face to face. He could take her back to Kakariko where she would be safe, and then _finally_ he would have no more need of the deal he had struck with Midna, the Fused Shadows for the children of Ordon. Midna would use her newfound power to defeat Zant and restore Zelda to the throne and it would all be done and over with. His purpose as the Hero of Hyrule would be fulfilled.

That was what he wanted. To go back to Ordon, to have everything the way it used to be. The way it was _meant_ to be. It was what he had been working toward all this time.

And yet...

"Link?" Zelda said, tentative. He heard her take a step toward him. "Is there something troubling you?"

Link shook his head. "Nothing you would care about, Princess," he said tersely.

"Anything that troubles the hero of my kingdom is of concern to me," Zelda said in a decidedly glacial tone.

Link snapped his head around to scowl at her, wishing she would show any other emotion aside from cold disdain, like he was nothing more than an insolent servant. And it was partly out of a desire to goad _some _reaction that he spoke his next words. "The girl I was supposed to marry is here. Ilia, the mayor's daughter. She disappeared when Ordon was covered in twilight, but I've seen her here in Castle Town as one of the spirits."

Zelda faltered. Link wasn't sure what he expected, and he felt rather foolish for wanting to see jealousy or at least disappointment that his hand had been claimed by another. But Zelda only looked pensive and a little remorseful as her eyes flitted to the window. "Is she well?" she murmured.

Now it was Link's turn to hesitate, suddenly wishing he hadn't brought this up. "Well enough, I guess. At least...I don't think she was hurt by the monsters that took her."

Zelda nodded. "Then I'm glad you have found her. There are many in this kingdom who will never see their loved ones again."

Like her father, the king of Hyrule, who had fallen in the very first battle with Zant's forces. Or so Link had learned through whispers and rumor. Now he felt that he was being deliberately cruel, to remind her of what she had lost and which he still had.

"Will she be proud of you?" Zelda asked unexpectedly. "Your bride-to-be? Will you tell her of the deeds you have accomplished, all the good you have done in the name of Hyrule?"

"If I told her, she'd probably scold me for being reckless," Link said with a quiet snort. But the feeling was short-lived, and he fixed Zelda with a penetrating look. "Why are you asking me about her? You've never wanted to know about my...about my friends or my home or anything like that."

Zelda moved closer to stand at the window at his side, her attention still on the world beyond the glass. "It is...uncommon for the fated heroes to live peaceful lives. Many are killed on the battlefield. Many more lose their homes and families and are left with only their duty to Hyrule to give their lives purpose and meaning. A few, rarely, succumb to despair and madness after the terrible things they witnessed. It eases my mind to know you have a future that does not lie in darkness."

Link stared at her, astonished to hear that some of his predecessors had suffered such a fate. All the history books Mayor Bo kept had made it out like they had gladly given their lives in service to Hyrule and had no want or need for another purpose. He had thought himself the odd one out, the sole hero who never wanted to be anything but a herder of goats. He hadn't even liked the idea of one day becoming mayor of Ordon when Bo retired—or marrying his best friend simply because she had a crush on him and there was no one else of a suitable age.

He grimaced and rubbed his eyes jadedly. Gods, his old life had just as many fetters as his new one...why had he never realized that before? Again, Link felt that restless energy plaguing him, the need to be out and running far away from here, to seek a place where his life and body and soul were not bound by chains and expectations.

He sensed her watching him again. As if she aware of his disquiet. "Link..."

"I don't want to talk about Ilia," Link cut her off.

"...that is not what I intended to speak of," Zelda said slowly, almost wary like she thought he would explode into anger. "Link, have _you _been well?"

"Aside from being tossed off bridges and nearly cut to pieces or burned alive at every opportunity?" Link said with a caustic air. "Aside from being ripped from my life and thrown into hero's clothing and expected to worry about every other person in Hyrule except myself? Yes, of _course _I've been well. This sort of thing happens to me every day..."

He might have said more, he might very well have worked himself up into that anger Zelda seemed to fear. But his words died when slender fingers touched the side of his face, tracing the rough stubble on his jaw, and he found himself captured by her eyes. Behind her concern, Link could see a reflection of his own helplessness, the same weariness of body and spirit. Her forehead and the corners of her eyes had premature wrinkles like someone who had seen more sorrow and grief than any human could take. Like someone who had cried herself to sleep every night for years.

"You've spent much time in the twilight," Zelda murmured.

"I don't exactly have a choice in the matter," Link said, unnerved by her ceaseless scrutiny.

"Has Midna warned you of the corrupting effects the twilight has on those of our world?" Zelda pressed him. When Link threw her a sullen look, she shook her head. "No, I do not speak of the physical effects that you have already experienced..."

"Time and time again," Link added sourly.

"The twilight itself is not evil," Zelda said, and rather than removing her hand like he hoped, she raised her other hand to cradle his face in both palms. "But it is still dangerous in its own right. Those like Midna, those who are born within it...it does not affect them as severely. They are able to find a balance within themselves and live peaceful and meaningful lives even as we do."

Link almost scoffed. "Peaceful and meaningful? So how do you explain Zant?"

Her eyes darkened with abhorrence. "In all societies, in all worlds including our own, there shall always be individuals of selfish heart and unstable mind. But my concern is for _you_, Link. You are a Hylian, a being of the light. You and I were never meant to linger in the twilight's influence. It alters us. Our minds become clouded, and we risk losing ourselves and becoming mere beasts, knowing only fear and avarice and the instinct to survive. You must have felt it during the time you spend as a wolf..."

Yes, he had. It frightened Link each time it happened, the way his senses sharpened and his thoughts became chaotic and savage. It wasn't only his body that became something less than human, and if it hadn't been for Midna ranting in his ear and reminding him of his purpose, he would have lost himself to it long ago. Because even though it frightened him, there was a _freedom _to it that Link had never known was possible, the sovereignty to act as he pleased and answer to no one but himself. The wolf was a part of him, had always been there just beneath the skin. And once he finally accepted that and stopped seeing his transformation as a curse...then everything had become so much easier.

"You're already letting it take you...aren't you?" Zelda said in muted despair.

"Maybe it's better that I do," Link retorted and stepped back so her hands slipped from his face. "How else am I supposed to survive in the twilight? If I fight against it, I'm only crippling myself."

"But you _must_ fight against it!" Zelda said ardently. "The hero is bound to Hyrule alone, he cannot have one foot in both worlds. You are torn, Link, and you should not be. You _cannot_ be."

"Then what am I to do about it?" Link snapped. "Tell me, Princess, because I haven't a clue. How do I resist the very thing I need to move forward?"

"By remembering all those who have placed their faith in you," Zelda insisted. "For their sake, you must retain who you are, as a hero _and_ a human being. And above all, you must _not_ come to depend on the power of twilight—"

"Even if that power is what _makes_ me a hero?"

"Your soul is what makes you the chosen hero!" Zelda said, and for the first time her face flushed with anger. Righteous anger overlying fear, but it was still very real. "You have strength of your own and no need to borrow it from elsewhere. Especially when that same power is what brought suffering on your village and caused your own people to condemn you!"

Link recoiled from the harsh reminder. The memory was still painful, the fear and disgust on the faces of the villagers, people he had known and trusted his entire life. He could still hear Uli's frightened screams and feel the bite of Rusl's blade. And while part of him understood their reaction, the betrayal still stung. He had despised his monstrous form and been willing to do anything to escape it, even strike a deal with an imp who seemed determined to degrade him in every way possible.

"I...forgive me," Zelda said, her quiet repentance taking him by surprise. "My words were spoken in haste."

Far from gratifying him, her apology only infuriated Link more. "It's a little late for that now. Maybe you should have warned me about all this the first time you saw me as a wolf, before I let Midna convince me to that returning to the twilight was my only choice."

"I said nothing because I didn't know you were truly human," Zelda admitted. When Link gaped at her in blank shock, she glanced aside with a shamed look. "Midna told me she was searching for someone. She called it a divine beast, a warrior who would be a match for Zant. How was I to know she meant the same hero of our legends? When you first entered my chamber...I failed to recognize your true nature. Your spirit was cloaked in the same shadows as her, and I thought..."

She hesitated, but the insinuation behind her words was perfectly clear. Before Link could control himself, he seized forcefully by the shoulders, not caring if he was hurting her. "You thought I was a _monster_," he hissed.

"Forgive me," Zelda said with forced composure. "But given the circumstances...can you blame me?"

"_Yes!_" Link shouted, all of his resentment raging forth. "I blame you for everything! You're the princess of this kingdom! It was _your _duty to stop Zant, not mine! You should have stopped him long before it ever got this far! I almost lost everything when those monsters overran my village...I could _still _lose everything, and all because you didn't stab him in the throat when you had the chance!"

Zelda winced at the tightening grip, but her jaw clenched as she raised her head with an unyielding glint in her eye. "Do not speak of what you do not understand. Had I chosen to fight to the bitter end, then I would have been slain along with my guards, and Zant would have unleashed hell on this kingdom! My people would have been slaughtered, not merely shrouded in twilight. It was my only choice, the sole course of action that would not result in further death!"

"It was still more of a choice than I had!"

"Oh, was it?" Zelda said in spite. "Then explain why it is _you_ who now roams the kingdom, openly defying Zant and slaying his foul creations while I remain imprisoned here? _You_ were the fortunate one, Link. Your desire to help those you love goes hand in hand with your duty. I would give _anything _for your freedom!"

"This isn't freedom," Link snarled. "It isn't even close!"

"Very well, then take your freedom!" Zelda shouted and shoved him away. She turned her back to him stiffly. "If you are truly so bitter about your destiny, then leave! Throw away your sword and return to your village or leave the kingdom if you wish, and I will waste no further gratitude on you! Begone, O great hero!"

Silence fell between them, broken only by the eerie moan of the wind beyond the glass. Link didn't trust himself to speak again, fearing his temper would get the best of him and he would take her up on her ultimatum. But as tempting as it was to leave all this behind him, to seize the freedom he so longed for...it wasn't what his heart truly wanted. That damnable noble side of him wouldn't allow it. He could never live with himself if he chose the easy way out, knowing what the outcome would be for everyone else. Ilia would remain lost in the twilight, as would most of the kingdom, and Midna would never retrieve the last Fused Shadow and have her revenge on Zant for whatever he had done to earn her hatred.

And Zelda...she would spend the rest of her days staring out this window with no chance of escape, no hope of seeing another hero rise in his place. A lonely and eternal vigil under the twilit sky. No, he could not leave her like that. Because Link knew that no matter how far he ran, not a day would go by without his thoughts turning to her in sorrow and regret.

"I won't leave," Link murmured.

He couldn't see her face, but Zelda eased out a slow breath, shoulders trembling in a way that made her seem fragile. Her head ducked down, and the dusky light from the window sparkled off a silver chain around her neck that he had never noticed before. Link moved closer and followed the necklace down to her hands, both clasped before her heart, fiddling with a tiny object hanging from the chain. He reached for it, and her hands stilled at his touch. Zelda offered no resistance when he pried her fingers apart and held up the engagement ring between his thumb and forefinger, entranced by the diamonds and amethysts arranged in an exquisite silver setting. No one in Ordon could afford such finery. Even Rusl and Uli's wedding rings were nothing more than plain copper bands with a thin layer of gold-leaf.

"Who was he?" Link asked, though with some reservation. The sight of the ring and its significance had brought a heavy sinking feeling to his gut, almost a sense of loss even though there was no reason to feel that way. It made no sense to assume Zelda would not have someone. A man who had claimed the heart of the fair princess, maybe a noble or a foreign dignitary or prince. But then, the fact that she was not wearing the ring and yet still cherished it could only mean...

"My friend," Zelda whispered with a frailty that did not suit her at all. A tear seeped from her eye and trailed down her cheek. "My only friend. He fell in battle alongside the king, mere days after he had asked for my hand."

"I'm sorry," Link said, and he truly was. He laid the ring back in her hands, but didn't let go of her just yet, surrounding her pale fingers with his rough, dirty ones. "I'm sorry."

Zelda made a tight noise in her throat, eyes squeezed tightly shut, like she was forcibly reigning in more powerful emotions. "So am I," she said, and it sounded like she was apologizing for every single thing that had gone wrong since the beginning. Without knowing why Link found himself stepping closer, their hands still clasped as their foreheads touched, his eyes slipping shut as well.

And they simply stood there, not quite comforting each other but just savoring the moment of solidarity. The unspoken promise that their suffering was shared and they were not entirely alone. And Link knew that no innate soul-bond crafted by the gods was responsible for that connection. They weren't surrendering, they were _uniting_. Facing the terrible future with hands clasped, not because they had no choice but because they had _made_ the choice. This war, the two of them on one side and hateful destiny on the other, would see an end with either both of them standing or both of them dead, but nothing in between.

It was strange how the thought eased his mind and heart so much. The chains were so much less constricting when they were shared with another. No matter who that other was.

A sharp pain throbbed in his temple, threatening to explode into an even bigger headache if he ignored it. Link winced and pulled back from the princess, one hand rubbing at the spot in annoyance. "Ow," he growled.

"What's wrong?" Zelda said, startled.

"...I think Midna kicked me in the head," Link informed her. He lowered his hand, staring in alarm as his fingers became translucent and began to fade away, the rest of his body gradually following. A white mist began to blot out his vision, their brief connection waning, but he could still vaguely see Zelda standing before him. And this time Link found himself reaching out to her. This time even as the waking world called him back, he fought to stay at her side for as long as possible.

"Zelda—!"

_I know, Link_, Zelda whispered, the reassurance coming to him from a great distance. He was falling again, slowly sinking into darkness, the silence of the castle exchanged for the sounds of lapping water and the caws of shadow Kargoroks. Every muscle ached from the long fall, and he was freezing cold from the mud plastering his fur, but at least he had survived. Somehow he had even reached the shore, though Link was powerless to explain how. He blinked slowly, the real world overlapping with the dream, the fading image of Zelda melding with the sight of Midna peering down at him. For just the briefest moment, Link thought his small companion seemed desperately worried as she inspected him for signs of life. But then she jerked and pulled back, arms crossed and lips twisted into an annoyed scowl.

"W-Well, it's about time! You sure picked an odd place for a nap. Are you planning to rejoin the living anytime soon? This twilight isn't just going to up and vanish on its own, you know, so get a move on!"

_And I'm glad you're alive too,_ Link thought with an internal roll of his eyes. But he let it go. Midna had always favored brutal honesty over heartfelt platitudes, and he had long since stopped taking such mean-spirited comments to heart. He began to roll over and whimpered, which turned into a hacking cough as he staggered upright on all fours and retched up what tasted like half the water in Hyrule. Half the _sewer_ water in Hyrule.

"Good thing there was a puddle underneath, huh?" Midna remarked. She craned her head back to gaze up at the fiery bridge, then surveyed the dried-up lakebed. "This _can't_ be normal for this region. I wonder if something happened to the water source upriver...anyway, that's not really our problem. It's finding a way to reach that spirit spring we should be worried about. So, wolf boy, got any ideas?"

Link paused in the act of shaking the damp from his fur, the words of the princess coming back to him. _The Zoras._ He lifted his head and sure enough located several spirits huddled nearby with a distinctly fishy smell to them. Just like the Gorons of Death Mountain, just like the humans of Castle Town, he could sense the anguish which had taken hold in their hearts. They were trapped, the twilight sucking them into an endless nightmare from which they could never awaken. Once Link had felt pity and regret for the spirits he encountered in the twilight. Then for a long time he had felt angry, had wanted to rage at them to _do _something and not simply stand there enslaved to their fears.

But now...when he looked at them now, all he could think of was Zelda imprisoned in that castle of stone and shadow. He remembered the paleness of her face, the shadows in her eyes, he remembered the ring she cherished and the future that had been stolen from her. A powerless princess, bound by unseen chains...but not yet broken by them. He remembered the steely expression she donned to hide a shattered and uncertain heart, the same way his ferocious lupine form sheltered an ignorant ranch hand. And Link couldn't help but wonder what their ancestors, the ancient heroes and bygone princesses, would think of their descendants. Both struggling under the burdens thrust upon them, both longing for freedom yet knowing such a thing was forever beyond their reach.

_Or is it?_ Link wondered, head cocked as he looked to the castle far in the distance. Then he threw his head back and howled to the sky, ignoring Midna's cry of alarm and her demands that he quit acting like a hyperactive puppy. For a just moment he lost himself in the wildness of the song, resolved as he never had been before his journey began. For a moment he cast aside his doubts and resentments and let himself feel strong and courageous and hopeful for the future.

And somehow he knew that, far away in a distant castle, Zelda could hear him howling his defiance in the face of darkness and despair. And he knew that she smiled.


End file.
